CRIMINAL PROCEDURE: Sentencing – Dangerous drugs – Self-administration of dangerous drugs – Court embarked on balancing exercise between justice to accused and pubic interest – Mitigating factors – First offender, young and served in police force for 14 years – Whether a fine most appropriate – Whether binding over or custodial sentence would be excessive

DAMAGES: Assessment - Loss of use of property - Common property - Arrears of rental - Purpose of awarding damages - Whether plaintiff entitled to claim for loss of use of property on basis that it is common property or based on residential rates - Whether property should be valued based on market rates

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE: Appeal - Appeal against sentence - Accused convicted on charge of assaulting or using criminal force against victim with intention of outraging her modesty - Sentence of 15 months imprisonment and fine of RM1,000 - First time offender and sole breadwinner of family - Fine duly paid - Whether jail sentence was too harsh and excessive

CHINESE ISLAM AND POLITICAL ACCOMMODATION: A TOOL AGAINST EXTREMISM*byALEXANDER WAIN

From the mid-seventeenth century onwards, China became host to a distinctive brand of Islam known as the Han Kitab. Ideologically, the Han Kitab came to rest on the Islamic concept of din al-fitra (lit. 'the natural religion'), understood to be the 'correct religion' ordained by God (Qur'an 30:30). Although only perfected in the Qur'an, this 'correct religion' constituted the core of several earlier messages, sent to the peoples of all nations by a series of (usually unidentified) prophets (Qur'an 10:47).

The authors of China's Han Kitab tradition - comprising a group of Sinicised Muslims known as the Hui - used a close analysis of Neo-Confucian thought to argue that Confucius had been a bearer of din al-fitra. Although they maintained that Islam was more pristine than Neo-Confucianism, they nevertheless sought to establish an equivalency between the key concepts of each tradition, to demonstrate that, at the core of each, beat the same heart. On this basis, the Han Kitab tradition became an early example of ecumenical thought. It also led to a number of important intellectual developments, of which the political thought of Ma Zhu (d.ca.1710) is particularly noteworthy.

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* Published with kind permission of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia. (www.iais.org.my).

AN APPRAISAL OF THE INVESTIGATORY POWERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE HOUSES UNDER THE 1999 CONSTITUTIONbyO. B. AKINOLA PH.D* STELLA BENJAMIN (MRS)**

Abstract

Nigeria practices bicameral legislature and unicameral legislature at the Federal and state levels respectively. Since the return of democratic government in all tiers of the Nigerian government, the military has been in the barracks and the legislative arm of government has been rejuvenated again. Over a decade, there have been more than 50 probe panels constituted by the legislature in the past decade. The legislature has been performing their oversight functions. The question is whether the style of such performance is in conformity with the spirit and letters of the Constitution. This paper reviews the various powers the constitution vests on the legislative arm of government in Nigeria. The paper also observed some lapses in the exercise of these oversight functions. The paper however suggested ways in which this legislative oversight can be strengthened for better policy formulation and legislation to enhance good governance for development.

16 October 2017 pursuant to paragraph 6(1)(xxiii) of the Revision of Laws Act 1968 [Act 1]; Revised up to 2 October 2017; First enacted in 1968 as Act of Parliament No 8 of 1968; First Revision - 1988 (Act 356 wef 1 December 1988)

16 October 2017 pursuant to paragraph 6(1)(xxiii) of the Revision of Laws Act 1968 [Act 1]; Revised up to 2 October 2017; First enacted in 1967 as Act of Parliament No 43 of 1967; First Revision - 1994 (Act 528 wef 12 December 1994)